The name of Ashok Sahoo (37) of Bari in Jajpur district has recently been entered in the India Book of Records for his single-day collection of as many as 450 newspapers carrying articles on Mahatma Gandhi in 15 different languages from 19 States and four Union Territories of India on Gandhi‘s birthday on October 2, 2012.
"He (Sahoo) is the first person in India who collected 450 articles on Gandhi in 450 newspapers in the country. We recognised his achievements by entering his name in the India Book of Records on October 2 last year," said an official of the India Book of Records.
“I collected the articles on Mahatma Gandhi with the help of my friends and relatives. I have also collected about 120 postal stamps on Gandhi issued by over 50 countries including India,” said Sahoo.
He pointed out, “On the first anniversary of India's freedom, the postal department of India issued a set of four stamps featuring Mahatma Gandhi. These stamps were in four denominations, 1.5, 3.5 and 12 annas and Rs 10.
These are the first of the Gandhi stamps ever. The set was printed in Switzerland on photo graver machine, as at that time such type of printing machine was not available in India.These stamps have the word Bapu printed on it in Hindi and Urdu, and Mahatma Gandhi in English.
Since then, hundreds of postal stamps on Mahatma Gandhi have been issued by various countries, and many of them have now become rare. And the Rs 10-stamp has become very rare.”
Sahoo as a philatelist has collected stamps, first-day covers and postcards and other memorabilia with the photos of Gandhi. He has also collected about 30,000 articles on the Father of the Nation published in newspapers and journals in India and abroad. He started his collections since 1990.
"Gandhi has not only influenced the countries he visited but also stirred the minds of the people of the places he did not go. Because of this, such a large number of countries issued stamps on him," said Ashok Sahoo. The Mahatma’s march of life has also been narrated chronologically both in Hindi and English shown through postage stamps, collection of facsimiles of coins, currency notes, first-day covers, special covers, telephone cards and picture cards depicting Gandhi in good numbers," added Ashok Sahoo.